Chapter 15: Tutorial (15)

“Oppa! I caught a fish!”

“Oh! Great job! Fish stew tonight!”

“Woohoo!”

Seven days into the second-floor survival quest.

After setting up their shelter, Yoo Ha-na and Go Hyun-joon had fully adapted to the wilderness. Their wilderness survival training had clearly paid off.

They had secured a prime location on the first day, and since then, they’d been actively hunting and gathering food and water.

They even learned how to preserve food, smoking and storing the meat from their hunts.

Everything was smooth sailing.

Survival had become routine, and with their increased free time, they trained individually or played in the stream.

“Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve had fish stew!”

“It looks delicious. Oppa, is it ready yet?”

Yoo Ha-na looked… happy. She was smiling so much, it was hard to imagine her as the Revenant from before I regressed.

Her style had changed too. She never grew her hair out before.

Back when she was a plaything for the Cerberus trio, she’d often been grabbed by her hair. The trauma had led her to keep it short.

But now, she cherished her long, straight hair, usually tying it up with the embroidered strap. She treated it like a precious item.

And a similar strap was tied around Go Hyun-joon’s wrist. A black strap on his wrist and a red one in her hair. Different colors, but the same embroidery. I wasn’t stupid enough to miss the meaning.

Thinking back, there had been plenty of clues.

Their first meeting when she was wearing a maid outfit. Their strangely close proximity. Her awareness of him even during intense battles. Her attempts to get closer right before the transfer.

“Ha-na, taste this.”

“Hmm… It’s a little bland.”

“Really? Hmm… I guess so. The flavor of the fish hasn’t fully infused yet. Let’s simmer it a little longer.”

“Okay.”

Yoo Ha-na…

Yoo Ha-na looked happy as she looked at Go Hyun-joon. When I died on the 99th floor and regressed to the first, I had vowed to do things differently.

That included Yoo Ha-na’s happiness. But she was already happy.

“I think it’s done now.”

“I think so too. Han-seong! The stew is ready! Come and eat!”

Yes, if Yoo Ha-na was happy, that was all that mattered. But why? Why did I feel so frustrated looking at her?

I wanted her to be happy. And now she was, before I even did anything.

It should have been enough, yet I felt a nagging frustration.

“Han-seong? Aren’t you eating? We made delicious stew.”

Yoo Ha-na approached me as I sat there lost in thought. But I couldn’t help but notice the man beyond her.

Go Hyun-joon, quietly preparing the meal near the campfire. Looking back and forth between him and Yoo Ha-na intensified the frustration in my chest.

“Ah, I’m fine. I’ll be back in a bit. I need to go somewhere.”

“But you should eat dinner before you go…”

“Haha… I’m fine. I had a big lunch.”

“Ha-na, why didn’t you call Han-seong? The stew’s getting cold.”

After a brief back-and-forth with Yoo Ha-na, Go Hyun-joon approached us, having finished preparing the meal. The closer he got, the more suffocated I felt.

“Han-seong said he’s not eating dinner.”

“Really? Why not? We made it just for you. It’s delicious.”

“No… I’m not feeling well. I’m going for a walk.”

“Is that so? Be back before midnight. The forest is dangerous at night.”

Go Hyun-joon looked at me calmly.

But that look, that understanding gaze, felt like a fishbone stuck in my throat.

I wanted to rip it out, but I couldn’t.

“…I will.”

My head was a mess. A splitting headache. I wanted to drown my brain in v0dka.

The second floor was a vast field with many hidden elements. I needed to acquire as many hidden pieces as possible within the given time.

During my first climb to the 99th floor, I’d encountered many formidable individuals in the Tower of Proof. Some were notorious villains, others fallen heroes.

Despite their differences, they all had one thing in common: hidden pieces acquired on the second floor.

I remembered hearing about them during my first life. People always embellished their stories.

They rarely revealed the specifics of the hidden pieces, but they bragged freely about where and how they obtained them.

“Found it. Here it is.”

This was the sixth one. There were no footprints or signs of entry, indicating I’d beaten the original owner to it.

“Kuiiiiit.”

“Buhihiiit.”

A hidden dungeon filled with orcs. The original owner had claimed to have snuck in while they were sleeping to grab the hidden piece. I had no intention of doing that.

“Hey.”

“Buhit?”

“Kuit?”

I’d practically monopolized all the hidden pieces on the first floor. At my current level, even an entire orc tribe would be nothing more than a snack for Crota.

Woooong…

The hidden piece from the abandoned church, the magic sword Crota. Also known as the Flesh-Eating Sword. I pressed the red gem embedded in the pommel, and the awakened sword roared.

“Dinner time, Crota.”

Vwoong!

The sword vibrated with excitement. Normally, I would have to suppress the discomfort that seeped into my mind, but not today.

The suffocating frustration remained, and there was nothing I could do to alleviate it.

So, I would vent it by killing monsters.

“Stinger!”

I initiated combat with a thrust. Even though the skill level was low and manually activated, it didn’t matter.

Mana-based skills always optimized my movements within the defined parameters.

Thud!

The sound of flesh tearing. I felt Crota tremble with delight as it tasted blood.

But I wasn’t going to let it feast endlessly. A thrust must be followed by a swift retrieval.

Rip!

As I tried to pull the sword back, Crota resisted, its teeth sinking deeper. This only inflicted more damage on the orc, chunks of its flesh caught between the sword’s teeth.

“Retract your teeth.”

Crota greedily devoured the flesh caught on its teeth. But we were in combat. I needed a sharp sword, not a barbed hook.

“Retract them!”

I shook the sword, dislodging the flesh and blood. Crota finally returned to its normal form. I’d lost some time wrangling with it.

But the orcs, terrified by the sight of their disemboweled comrade, hesitated. Their stupidity worked in my favor.

Crota shuddered after its meal.

The Flesh-Eating Sword, Crota, consumed flesh and blood, replenishing my mana. The mana I’d used for Stinger was instantly restored.

“Die!”

With my mana restored, I charged at the next orc, activating Double Slash. I didn’t need to shout the name since I could activate it at will.

The two consecutive slashes quartered the orc’s upper body.

Crota didn’t use its teeth this time, but I’d put so much force into the swing that the cuts were ragged.

“Kuiiiii!”

“Buiiiii!”

Witnessing two of their kind slaughtered so quickly, the orcs shrieked in alarm, finally realizing the danger.

Good. That was what I wanted. I wanted to kill and keep killing until I felt better.

“…I’ll kill you all.”

The orcs adopted a battle stance, recognizing me as an enemy. Multiple monsters against a single opponent. I couldn’t help but think of someone.

Go Hyun-joon.

He always decapitated or bisected orcs cleanly during combat. I could do that too. But his cuts were always precise.

Gnash…

The image of the quartered orc flashed through my mind. The ragged cuts. Even considering the force I’d used, they were sloppy compared to his.

Gnash…

Then I remembered Yoo Ha-na getting distracted during combat.

She had been looking at him, even in the heat of battle. With a gentleness I’d never seen from the Revenant of my first life.

Grind…!

Thinking about Yoo Ha-na and Go Hyun-joon filled me with a suffocating frustration.

“Buhi… Buhiit…”

“Kui… Kuiit…”

The feeling persisted even after I reached the end of the hidden dungeon, having slaughtered hundreds of orcs and claimed the hidden piece. Then, a thought struck me.

“Wait, is Yoo Ha-na even useful?”

The Yoo Ha-na of my first life, the Revenant, was a proven powerhouse, driven by an endless thirst for revenge.

But what about this happy Yoo Ha-na? Without that driving force, could she even reach the 99th floor?

The suffocating pressure lifted as this realization dawned on me. A refreshing clarity washed over me.

“Right. I have to climb the Tower of Proof.”

I finally felt like I had found my path.

“And to do that, I need to become stronger. I need to monopolize the hidden pieces and gather useful allies.”

The conclusion was clear. I needed the Revenant, not Yoo Ha-na.

“Yes. I have to live for myself.”

I suddenly had a strong craving for soda.